Michael Ford, The Hip Hop Architect, is the architectural designer of The Universal Hip Hop Museum. Ford is recognized in the architectural and hip hop communities as a galvanizer and pioneer of a new era of architectural practitioners. He has dedicated his professional career to stimulating cross disciplinary discourse on the sociological and cultural implications of architecture and urban planning on its inhabitants. Focusing on the intersection of the built environment and hip hop culture, Ford’s national Hip Hop Architecture exhibit and lecture tour has included stops at the 2014 AIA Convention in Chicago, Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, The University of Michigan, University of Illinois and his alma matter University of Detroit Mercy. A longtime member of National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), Ford serves on the board of the Detroit chapter.